THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you. Madam
Speaker, Mr. Leader, members of Congress, Secretary Powell, distinguished
guests: You know, the Speaker and I had the honor of having our picture
taken with you, and as I walked into the rotunda, a place that occasionally
I get invited up here and I walk into, I was impressed by the fact that I
wasn't amongst heroes who were statues. I was impressed that I was amongst
heroes who still live. (Applause.) I thank you for the honor you have
brought to our country. And the medal you're about to receive means our
country honors you, and rightly so.

I want to thank Senator Carl Levin and Sergeant Rangel. (Laughter.)
Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. (Applause.) I thank you for your leadership on
this issue. I have a strong interest in World War II airmen. I was raised
by one. He flew with a group of brave young men who endured difficult
times in the defense of our country. Yet for all they sacrificed and all
they lost, in a way, they were very fortunate, because they never had the
burden of having their every mission, their every success, their every
failure viewed through the color of their skin. Nobody told them they were
a credit to their race. Nobody refused to return their salutes. Nobody
expected them to bear the daily humiliations while wearing the uniform of
their country.

It was different for the men in this room. When America entered World War
II, it might have been easy for them to do little for our country. After
all, the country didn't do much
for them. Even the Nazis asked why African American men would fight for a
country that treated them so unfairly. Yet the Tuskegee airmen were eager
to join up.

You know, I'm interested in the story about a young man who was so worried
that the Army might change its mind about allowing him to fly, that he
drove immediately to the train station. He left his car, as well as $1,000
worth of photography equipment. He never saw his car, he never saw his
camera, but he became a flyer.

These men in our presence felt a special sense of urgency. They were
fighting two wars: One was in Europe, and the other took place in the
hearts and minds of our citizens. That's why we're here. The white
commander of the Tuskegee airfield was once asked -- with all seriousness
-- how do African Americans fly? -- reflecting the ignorance of the times,
they said, how do African Americans fly? He said, "Oh, they fly just like
everybody else flies -- stick and rudder." Soon, Americans in their
kitchens and living rooms were reading the headlines. You probably didn't
realize it at the time, but you were making headlines at home, headlines
that spoke about daring pilots winning a common battle.

And little by little, every victory at war was translated to a victory here
in the United States. And we're in the presence of men who are earning
those victories, important victories, leaders who pierced the unquestioned
prejudices of a different society. You gave African Americans a sense of
pride and possibility.

You saw that pride and awe, I'm sure you remember, in the faces of young
children who came up to you right after the war and tugged and your
uniforms and said, "Mister, can you really fly an airplane?" Some of you
have been in Germany and Iraq, and you still see that sense of pride.

I appreciate your going. I appreciate the fact that one of our young
soldiers today took pictures for -- of you for a scrapbook for his
children. I appreciate the fact that one of our soldiers today said, "It's
not often that you get a chance to meet the guys who have paved the path
for you." (Applause.)

The Tuskegee Airmen helped win a war, and you helped change our nation for
the better. Yours is the story of the human spirit, and it ends like all
great stories do -- with wisdom and lessons and hope for tomorrow. And the
medal that we confer today means that we're doing a small part to ensure
that your story will be told and honored for generations to come.
(Applause.)

And I would like to offer a gesture to help atone for all the unreturned
salutes and unforgivable indignities. And so, on behalf of the office I
hold, and a country that honors you, I salute you for the service to the
United States of America. (Applause.)